Black and white in progress

Tina Schönheit, poet and artist invited the media this week for an exclusive demonstration of ‘Art in the making. Life, a work in progress’ portrayed through simple photographs or ordinary people. The analogue photo-shoot demonstration was held at the Franco Namibian Cultural Centre. This was an opportunity for the media to observe, learn and understand a contemporary approach to old analogue photographic black and whit processes. Tina said her work is work in progress and she wants to make people think outside of the box and stop following stereotypes. She also wants for them to make up their own minds about the world they live in. “I photograph my models differently, which means that the dark in complexion model I paint white and the light in complexion model I paint black, which the camera then reverses,” she emphasised. She explained that she does this because she does not see colour, she only sees a person like her. “I get shocked every time I go back to Germany and people ask me: Do you have any black friends? My reply is always that I have friends, regardless of their colour,” added Tina. Her art also concentrates on gender and gender roles in society. “In some of my photographs I paint moustaches on woman and breast on men, to make a point,” she said. She demonstrated to the media how to use the old analogue camera, and showed them how to process the negatives in the dark room. “Let’s write history and bring it to the world!” she concluded. Tina is a multi-media artist and designer and she likes to experiment with conventional materials and techniques to find unconventional interpretations and combinations. She has a professional background as a German trained master jeweller and designer. She has exhibited in a few smaller and group exhibitions. She is also a lecturer of art, design and metal theory and a self-taught photographer.